You are invited to 

The Changing Faces of Diss

Film Screening and Exhibition Trail

29 – 30 August 2025
Diss Corn Hall, DesignerMakers21, No.8 Marketplace

• Friday 29 August 7pm: Film Premiere with Audience Q&A, Diss Corn Hall – drinks reception at 6pm (book here)
• Friday 29 August 2-4pm: Exhibition opening – meet the artists at No.8 Marketplace
• 29-30 August 10am-4pm: Exhibition at Diss Corn Hall, DesignerMakers21 and No.8 Marketplace

Moving House Films is proud to present the premiere of its latest community centred short film, The Changing Faces of Diss – a vibrant, imaginative exploration of memory, identity, and storytelling in the heart of Norfolk.

Commissioned by Essex Cultural Diversity Project and funded by Arts Council England, this creative film brings together the voices of Diss to craft a legacy artwork that reflects the town’s evolving character. Inspired by John Betjeman’s 1964 BBC film Something About Diss, this new piece blends documentary realism with whimsical reimagining.

Part documentary, part daydream, the film invites residents to share their stories and brings them to life through playful, powerful reenactments by community members. A man remembers elephants arriving by train, trunks and tails linked, marching down Victoria Road. A woman recalls a brief, glorious romance with a trapeze artist on Fair Green. A fisherman is pulled into the Mere only to discover the strange creatures that live down there. A girl, once desperate to be chased by geese, finds herself at the wrong end of a feathered vendetta. A bemused café owner, faced by a customer convinced she can pay with a retail clubcard, kindly acquiesces. A Ukrainian refugee finds warmth and welcome in an unfamiliar town.

With every tale playfully performed and reconstructed by residents, each memory is a communal act. Blending real recollection with fantastical re-creation, The Changing Faces of Diss unfolds like a folk tale told by many voices. Rooted in the streets and stories of Diss, it captures the spirit of a place shaped as much by memory as by map.

The Changing Faces of Diss is made possible through a commission from Essex Cultural Diversity Project supported by Arts Council England, in partnership with Diss Corn Hall, DesignerMakers21, and No.8 Market Place.

KEY TIMINGS
Join us at anytime during the two day celebration:

Friday 29 August

2.00 – 4.00pm
Exhibition Opening at No.8 Marketplace
Come along and meet the artists and project participants

10.00am – 4.00pm
Exhibition Trail @ No.8 Marketplace, Diss Corn Hall and DesignerMakers21
Hear residents’ memories through phone lines installed in the cafe at No.8 Market Place, and find the props from the film, co-created with the community

7.00pm (drinks reception at 6.00pm)
Film premiere and Audience Q&A with Moving House Films, Diss Corn Hall
Book your place at https://www.thecornhall.co.uk/shows/the-changing-faces-of-diss/

Saturday 30 August

10.00am – 1.00pm: on the hour
Film Screenings at Diss Corn Hall

10.00am – 4.00pm
Exhibition Trail @ No.8 Marketplace, Diss Corn Hall and DesignerMakers21
Hear residents’ memories through phone lines installed in the cafe at No.8 Market Place, and find the props from the film, co-created with the community.